The combination of restrictive maximum voltage limits for various integrated circuits, and the high speed and power supply voltages required by various devices may present challenges to output driver design. For example, a thin-gate transistor of an output driver may have a maximum voltage threshold for its terminals, Vgd, Vgs, Vds, and/or Vgb. The device coupled to the output driver may have a power supply voltage above this threshold. Consequently, the transistors may become electrically overstressed (“EOS”) due to their terminal voltages exceeding the maximum voltage threshold.
Protection transistors may be utilized to protect against the output driver experiencing EOS damage. However, protection transistors may increase the capacitance of the output driver, thereby impacting the ability of the output driver to perform at high speed.